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Henderson County Schools reports sharp gains in CTE credentials and expands work‑based learning
Summary
District CTE leaders told the school board that portable workplace credentials among graduates rose notably last year, and described steady growth in job‑shadowing, career events and internships that connect students to local employers.
Scott Moore, who presented Henderson County Public Schools’ career and technical education report at the March 10 board meeting, told trustees the district has seen “really, really awesome gains” in students earning workplace credentials.
The gains are measurable: Moore said the share of graduating seniors who left high school with at least one portable credential rose from about 53% in 2021–22 to 64% in 2022–23. He also reported that, measured against the total number of credentials available across courses, the district collected 42% last year after producing more modest percentages in prior years — “a 15% increase” he said.
Why it matters: portable credentials such as certified nurse aide (CNA) and industry certificates allow students to move directly into local employment or to a postsecondary program with recognized skills. Moore told the board that many of the credentials are in computer science/IT, health science (he singled out CNAs), agriculture and business fields, and that the district issued 2,155 credentials districtwide last year.
Details from the presentation
- Credentials: Moore summarized multi‑year trends, saying the district has been “tracking this heavily” and that percentage metrics show significant year‑over‑year growth. He said the district’s concentrated push increased the percentage of possible credentials earned from the mid‑20s to 42% in the most recent year.
- Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs): The district now has multiple students serving as state officers in CTSOs. Moore introduced three student leaders and noted the district had, for the first time he could find, three state officers from Henderson County serving concurrently. The students described their roles — Aubrey Garrett as the DECA Blue Ridge Region vice president, Sarah Kim and Taylor Ledbetter in FCCLA leadership posts — and said officers support chapter competition, member preparation and statewide coordination.
- Outreach and scale: Career development coordinators Jennifer Taylor and Gina Bradley told the board they have delivered more than 40 classroom presentations this school year and reached more than 2,500 students. Bradley said 415 students had completed the district job‑shadow application year to date and that the district had organized roughly 25–30 district career events with about 1,850 student participants so far.
- Internships and employer demand: Bradley described a formal internship course offered at some high schools (a year‑or‑semester‑long block course that replaces class periods), and said the district currently has about 15–20 local businesses that have asked to host interns. She called internships “the icing on the cake” for students who use job shadows to narrow career interests. Two seniors who are current interns — Emma Bryson and Lane Melton — addressed the board. Bryson said she is interning with a speech‑language pathologist and that “I’ve already learned so much about speech therapy, and I’ve only been there for about 9 weeks.” Melton, who interns at a local automotive shop, told trustees, “It’s really interesting and a good program because it’s so realistic. It’s a real job.”
What trustees asked and flagged
Board members pressed on placement and equity. Staff said they attempt to keep events local, use school Google Classrooms and QR‑coded flyers to advertise opportunities, and will continue outreach to employers. Bradley acknowledged health‑care placements are harder to arrange individually because of HIPAA and confidentiality; she said that is one reason the district runs large career events in bulk to give more students exposure.
The district also said it works with external partners such as MAHEC and Blue Ridge community programs to expand options, and that some employers now call the career coordinators to request student visits or interns.
Ending
Board members praised the program’s expansion and the students’ testimonials. Trustees did not take formal action on the presentation; staff said they will continue to scale credentials, CTSO leadership, job shadows and internships and report back with updated counts.
